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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

I have a 7 year old dwarf lop who is constantly accumulating a big gob of rabbit droppings on his backside. He doesn't like being held and certainly won't stand for the indignity of me cleaning him off. I try anyway but, it is difficult to remove entirely as it is mixed in his fur. These smelly and unsitely blobs eventually fall off, but I am certain neither one of us likes it much. Anyone have a clue as to what might cause this? Diet perhaps? He eats well. Sometimes too well, although I try to discipline us both.

BBSan Francisco Area

Forum Leader

8690 posts

6/08/2006 6:40 PM

Welcome Gizmo!! Now
your entered into the drawing twice.

Oh, boy, have you come to the right place. I have personal experience in
this....er...well let me rephrase that, I have personal experience with having
a bunny who deals with this. You can check out the diet section,
and scroll down to Bailey's specialized diet.

For some reason lops are susceptible to this. It is SMELLY!!! Let
me first ask you a few questions:

1. How long has your bunny been suffering from this? If it's fairly
recently, could she have arthritis? Does she walk or scoot along? Is she
overweight?
2. What do you feed your bunny now (no judgments here, my bunny will get
it even with the most healthy diet, she's just sensitive to even some healthy
stuff)
3. What are the serving portions of the greens, and/or pellets, and hay.

If it's just recently, then a vet should really him out, as some illnesses can
cause this. My vet asked me to bring in one of those smelly goops (oh
joy) and she tested it. She determined it was a yeast problem, which is
diet based. She had me feed less pellets, more dark greens, but
Bailey was even sensitive to some greens. You can check out my
whole trial and error in the "diet" section.

I'll check back for your answers, and we'll get to the bottom of this... literally.

In the meantime, I know it's really hard to clean if he's not used to it, but make sure his backside is clean as it cause irritation and even bladder infections. Plus, makes your bunny susceptible to fly strike.

To stop it from getting too hard and then stuck to the fur, I try take as much as I can off with toilet paper, (gag stinkola!) then I wash the rest off. If it's hard, then I soak her bum. We also have kept the hair around that area short to keep from it getting so stuck to the pooogooo.

Can you fill the sink halfway with luke warm water, and stick his bum in it? Do you have another person that can try and comfort him, and/or cover his eyes to help him calm down? It might help to purchase one of those sink hose things with a spray nozzle on it so you can rinse. My bunny is Holland so of course she's smaller than a mini, and I can just hold her and use the spray over the sink or the bathtub.

We have been dealing with this problem for some time now. I have probably been in denial regarding his diet. He isn't obese, but could stand to lose some weigth, no doubt. He starts the day with 8-10 blueberries, 2 or 3 baby carrots, and a couple pieces of broccoli. Mid-morning, I'll throw some pellets in his bowl. Mid-day, he gets a treat, usually a piece of trail mix bar. In the evening, I give him more pellets, and sometimes another treat which could be banana, dried cranberries, peanuts, etc. I also put out a handful of hay at night.

As far as exercise, he is never in a cage. He lives in our laundry room and has a small hallway as well. During the day, as long as we are home, he has access to a larger room. He doesn't venture out too often, but is welcome to do so.

So, yesterday I adjusted his diet. Less fruit and less pellets. More hay and vegi's. We'll also try some more exercise, and see how this goes. Oh, and we will try some mint or raspberry leaves.

Thanks again.

BBSan Francisco Area

Forum Leader

8690 posts

6/10/2006 12:02 PM

Hey, no problem, I know what little beggars they are
and what suckers we can be. They're just so darn cute!

I'm going to give you some more diet info, but just so you know, there are
parasites type of illness that can cause this - like coccidia. Most
are treatable. Does Gizmo always have a messy bottom, ya know, every time
he poops or just usually once a day - a big mushy stinky surprise?

Thanks for sharing all your diet info: Now I can help at least with it if it is
diet related. And either way, a healthier diet will help.

The recommended amount of fruit (by the House Rabbit Society, and they know
their stuff!) is 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs (a day) And some bunnies can't
even handle that much - like my Bailey.

Also, nuts, trail mix stuff over time can really cause serious digestive
problems, that can end up being fatal for your bunny. So cut out all
bread, nuts, etc

Dried fruit is even more sugar concentrated, so fresh is always best.

Broccoli is okay, but it can cause gas, especially for a bunny who is already
dealing with an imbalanced digestive system.

So, hopefully you're not feeling like I've beaten you down with all the
"should nots". I think you are wonderful because you are
looking for solutions, and most people feed their bunny stuff like that.
Hey, I did with my very first bunny, a long time ago. I didn't know back
then.

Plus, the change to feeding more hay is wonderful. I usually add a fresh
handful a few times a day. For some reason, even if my bunny hasn't
finished the first batch of hay, the new handful entices her to eat more.
(maybe more yummy favorite strands)

Oh, and I forgot to ask, do you know if you pellets and hay are timothy based
or alfalfa?

Do you have access to dark leafy greens where you live? Like Dandelion,
Parsley, Cilantro? Parsley is really high in fiber, and now that you'll
be feeding him less pellets, you'll want to offer a variety of leafy greens to
keep the vitamin levels up.

Also note: It can take even months for a bunnies system to get back in
shape. So don't get discouraged if you are doing everything right, and
poopybutt is still around. It should get less messy, and less frequent.

Keep us updated!

BBSan Francisco Area

Forum Leader

8690 posts

6/10/2006 12:02 PM

Hey, no problem, I know what little beggars they are
and what suckers we can be. They're just so darn cute!

I'm going to give you some more diet info, but just so you know, there are
parasites type of illness that can cause this - like coccidia. Most
are treatable. Does Gizmo always have a messy bottom, ya know, every time
he poops or just usually once a day - a big mushy stinky surprise?

Thanks for sharing all your diet info: Now I can help at least with it if it is
diet related. And either way, a healthier diet will help.

The recommended amount of fruit (by the House Rabbit Society, and they know
their stuff!) is 1 oz. to 2 oz. per 6 lbs (a day) And some bunnies can't
even handle that much - like my Bailey.

Also, nuts, trail mix stuff over time can really cause serious digestive
problems, that can end up being fatal for your bunny. So cut out all
bread, nuts, etc

Dried fruit is even more sugar concentrated, so fresh is always best.

Broccoli is okay, but it can cause gas, especially for a bunny who is already
dealing with an imbalanced digestive system.

So, hopefully you're not feeling like I've beaten you down with all the
"should nots". I think you are wonderful because you are
looking for solutions, and most people feed their bunny stuff like that.
Hey, I did with my very first bunny, a long time ago. I didn't know back
then.

Plus, the change to feeding more hay is wonderful. I usually add a fresh
handful a few times a day. For some reason, even if my bunny hasn't
finished the first batch of hay, the new handful entices her to eat more.
(maybe more yummy favorite strands)

Oh, and I forgot to ask, do you know if you pellets and hay are timothy based
or alfalfa?

Do you have access to dark leafy greens where you live? Like Dandelion,
Parsley, Cilantro? Parsley is really high in fiber, and now that you'll
be feeding him less pellets, you'll want to offer a variety of leafy greens to
keep the vitamin levels up.

Also note: It can take even months for a bunnies system to get back in
shape. So don't get discouraged if you are doing everything right, and
poopybutt is still around. It should get less messy, and less frequent.

Keep us updated!

GraveheartedCampbell, CA

2442 posts

6/10/2006 1:42 PM

I'm glad to hear you're going to try some diet changes for Gizmo. You might also try incorporating different types of hay. I feed mostly
timothy hay - but also mix things up with some oat, brome or orchard
grass. My kids think oat hay is so tasty that they dance for it :-)

I know how hard it is, since they're soo cute and really* love* all the treats. Since, you clearly love Gizmo and want him to live a long healthy life, cutting back on the treats will really make a difference in the long run with his health.

It's not going to be easy on either of you at first, like most new healthier habits are tough to get used to. But in the long run will be really beneficial to your bunny boy.